Summer in my Garden - Wet Ladybug

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It's so foggy and wet in the mornings that even the ladybugs take refuge in the fold of a leaf.

Happy gardening!

© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Autumn in My Garden 2009: Millipedes

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I found this millipede while weeding in the garden.

It curled up into a tight little ball about the size of a nickel

and wouldn't come out for the longest time.

When it finally unrolled itself,

I barely had time to take a few photos before

it slipped away out of sight.





Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Summer in The Garden: Shadow of a Damselfly

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Sometimes I become so fixated on my photo subject that I fail to see what is right in front of my eyes, or lens.

Here, I was so intent on the damselfly I didn't see the perfect shadow it was casting on the rose leaf.

Serendipity takes center stage.

This is my entry for this weekend's Shadow Shot Sunday over at Hey Harriet's. Click on over and check out all the beautiful shadow photography.

Click on the photo above to see the detail. Use your back button to return to the post.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Summer in The Garden: Critters on Parsley

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How many critters can you find on this parsley umbel?

While you're figuring that out, here are a few links that you might find interesting.

Here on the north coast of California, we have many varieties of umbelliferous plants growing in the wild. It's a good idea to be able to tell the safe ones from the toxic.

Have you found all the critters yet?

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Spring in My Garden - A Bee on Rose

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The bee had just emerged from the center of the rose, drenched with pollen dust. Click on photo to see the effect.

Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved

Praying Mantis

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Holy Moly! A praying mantis. In my garden. I've never seen one here. Nor anywhere else in this damp coastal area.

Preferring dry, warm to hot weather, there were hoards of these in my Sacramento Valley garden. They're wonderful to have around because they eat so many bugs that are harmful to plants.

There is a downside to having too many praying mantids: they have voracious appetites and will eat just about anything they can get there "hands" on, including beneficial insects and the occasional small bird. Click on this link for just such a documentation but, I warn you, it's not for the faint of heart.

Me, I'm rejoicing in the fact that one of them has found my garden.

Copyright © 2006-2007, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved

It's A Hungry World Out There

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Next?

Copyright © 2006-2007, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved

Ladybird beetle

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I've always called them ladybugs but it seems that they're known by other names as well. For such a small critter, there's an awful lot written about them.

Copyright © 2006-2007, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved